Foreign Minister Marise Payne reportedly received blistering messages from her Indonesian counterpart warning that Australia’s talk of recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital would be a “really big blow” that “will affect bilateral relations”.
Despite the Morrison government’s efforts to downplay the impact on relations with Australia’s predominantly Muslim neighbour, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told Senator Payne that the move would “slap Indonesia’s face on the Palestine issue”.
Ms Retno appeared particularly upset as the announcement by Australia coincided with a visit to Jarkarta by Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki.
“Is it really necessary to do this on Tuesday?” Ms Retno wrote, according to Seven News.
Senator Payne’s office did not deny the wording of the WhatsApp messages.
In a statement, a spokesman said Senator Payne and her counterpart had a “constructive discussion” about the announcement and Australia was aware of Indonesia’s perspective on the Arab-Israeli conflict.
“Minister Payne emphasised that there had been no change to Australia’s commitment to the Middle East peace process and to a durable and resilient two-state solution that allowed Israel and a future Palestinian state to exist side by side, within internationally recognised borders,” he said.
Read he article by David Wroe and Fergus Hunter in The Sydney Morning Herald.